Arcadia
by karolina19
Summary: Introverted yet resourceful, a young Breton woman decides to leave her past behind and go to Skyrim. She was just looking for some peace and quiet and a chance to start over; instead, she finds that she is Dragonborn, destined (or doomed) to save everyone from Alduín. Destiny was the last word she wanted to hear, but destiny has a funny way of finding you when you try to run.
1. Chapter 1: Helgen

The cart rattled loudly underneath me. I could almost feel my teeth clicking together if I really wanted to be dramatic about the whole ordeal. I glanced around slowly, watching the trees go by and wishing I was perched atop one of them.

"You awake finally?" The man sitting across from me directed the question somewhat aggressively. I merely raised an eyebrow, silently waiting for him to continue. The cart was soon filled with senseless rambling - lots of whining and complaining and boring history that anyone who hadn't been living under a rock would probably already know. The Stormcloaks were rebelling, Ulfric Stormcloak had murdered the High King, so on and so forth. Their voices turned into a soft drone as I looked up at the sky - an oddly relaxing shade of blue - and tried not to think about all the things I would have rather done differently. That's what I was supposed to do, right? Think about all my mistakes, wish I could go back, relive my entire life, as I was led to my execution? Somehow I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

We finally came to a stop, and I was jolted out of my mindless thoughts. I quietly followed the other prisoners out of the cart, plodding slowly through Helgen and ignoring the various, conflicting shouts of the villagers as I waited for my name to be called - if these pompous imperials even knew it. I half-listened as General Tullius addressed us; it had always been difficult to keep my attention fixed on only one thing at a time. A distant roar startled me though, and I squinted into the sky. A few murmurs rushed through the group, but no one paid any mind. I didn't even notice as the heads began to roll; I was far too busy scouring the sky for any sign of what had made that bone-chilling sound.

I jumped a little as someone yelled at me, calling me forwards. Another roar shook the village; a few more people seemed concerned. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, and I started breathing quickly, shallowly. I got down on my knees, awkwardly placing my head on the already bloody stump. I glared up at my executioner, knowing it wasn't really his fault but blaming him anyway. I was determined not to close my eyes. I could still feel my blood pounding in my ears.

I lifted my head ever so slightly as something dark appeared on the horizon. I leaned closer, not that it did much good, and stared intensely. Suddenly, the huge creature was upon us, screeching as it crashed down onto the tower right above us. Everyone started screaming; panic descended. The execution was completely forgotten as everyone abandoned his sanity and fled for his life. I struggled to my feet as fire rained down around me. The air was thick and hot; turbulent as the dragon ascended again, surveying the tiny village. I stumbled, coughing, wishing I had my bow with me. It was almost impossible to keep my balance with my hands tied in front of me, but I knew I had to keep moving. Someone was shouting - the man who had spoken to me earlier. I hesitated a moment, not wanting to trust him, but the dragon crashed down again, shaking the ground with him, and I sprinted towards the blonde Stormcloak.

I growled underneath my breath, still capable of feeling insulted despite my vulnerable state as he lead me through the crumbling ruins that Helgen was quickly becoming. He repeatedly stopped, turning around to check on me every few minutes, shouting orders at me. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I growled at him as we crouched behind a low stone wall, "I'm not brain dead. Shut up and run." He held my gaze for a moment, clearly considering a reply, before he took off for a tower. I followed him clumsily, shoving past him as we entered the tower. I climbed the stairs as best I could with bound hands, leaning against the wall every time I stumbled to avoid breaking my teeth on the stone. I paused near the top, turning to make sure he was still behind me - somehow his hands weren't bound, and I found that fact useful in a companion. Just as I turned, though, the wall exploded, and I staggered backwards, falling to my knees. I wanted to cover my ears to block out the bone-chilling roar, but I could do nothing but close my eyes and scream back. I finally gathered what little sense I could after the crippling shout and looked up - straight into the face of the dragon. His scales were black as ebony, shimmering with blood and spattered with dust and debris. A few arrows protruded from his shoulders and legs, but he was clearly unaffected. He opened his mouth, breathing hot, sulfuric steam directly into my face. I winced, my eyes watering from the toxic fumes. He withdrew from the gaping hole he had created, descending on the once peaceful town again. I struggled to my feet, surely a graceful sight, and looked around me. I couldn't continue up the tower; I would have to jump to the neighboring home.

I took a few steps back, inhaled, and leaped. I couldn't help but close my eyes, praying to whichever Divine was in the mood to listen to me - was there even one dedicated to this? My knees popped as I miraculously landed in the other building, and I stumbled forward, slamming my shoulder into a cabinet. I gasped, a mixture of pain and sheer disbelief, before I started looking for a way out. I noticed a hole in the floor, and I lunged for it, dropping to the ground more nimbly than I had jumped before. I crouched for a moment, surveying the disarray, before blondie joined me and lead the way again. I followed him, still crouching, as we rushed towards another door. He opened it for me and waited for me to enter. I stood in the middle of the Keep, seemingly disconnected from the rest of the panic outside; it was an odd sensation. I could smell smoke and destruction thick on my ragged garments, and I coughed faintly at the heaviness of it. I could feel dirt and grime caked on my face and neck; it would be a pain to get all that filth out of my tightly braided hair later. My blood was still racing, my heart still pounding, and my nerves still on edge despite the eerie calm surrounding me. I knew just beyond that flimsy wooden door was a murderous monster... and somehow my co-escapee had forgotten that.

"Here, take his armor... it's not like he'll be needing it anymore."

The faintest show of emotion didn't really impact me, I just cocked my hip and glared at him. "Oh, okay, I'll just carry it around with my teeth. No worries."

"Right... sorry about that. Let me help you..." He seemed distracted, but I couldn't quite blame him. Finally, he unbound my hands, and I fell on his fellow Stormcloak, stripping him naked and throwing on all of his much too large armor. I felt like a child playing with his parent's work boots. I grimaced, trying to tighten up the belt as best I could, rolling the pants at the waist to make them tighter, and trying to keep the helmet from obstructing my vision. I finally threw it off - and narrowly avoided getting my hand cut off with an axe.

"What the hell?" I jumped out of the way as it clattered to the floor. "Do you mind?"

"You'll need that, hurry up."

I glared at his back as he began trying to find a way out through the locked doors, picking up the axe he had thrown and wondering how he would like it if I casually tossed it into his back with all the force in my tiny body.

My daydreams were interrupted by loud shouting, and my muscles tensed up again. Imperial soldiers burst through the gate, and I fell on one instantly, hacking blindly with the axe. Not as clean as I would have liked, probably a lot more painful and drawn-out than he would have as well, but I got the job done. With relief I grabbed his sword, abandoning the axe for a much more familiar weapon. Blondie had finished off the other imperial and was already sprinting away. I rushed to her, thankful she was indeed a she, and grabbed her armor. I quickly started to exchange it for my own, hoping for a better fit as I ran after him.

The only thing I could think about was escaping as we barreled through the various tunnels. With a sword in my hand, I could much more peacefully dispatch anyone who got in my way - if murder was something you could consider peaceful. I scavenged quickly through every body, picking up gold and anything else useful. Blondie seemed to think that was insufferably annoying and time-consuming, but, unlike him, I had absolutely nothing to live on after we escaped. Stupid on my part to come to Skyrim without a septim to my name and barely any food, but I wasn't always smart when I had my mind set on some crazy scheme like running away from my past... or running straight back to it... I hadn't really come to a conclusion on what exactly I was doing here anyway.

It was much easier when we got around to the spiders. The damp, cool cave was a relief from the smoldering village we had left, and I breathed in as much of the air as possible, concerned that, once we got out, there would still be nothing but destruction and burning to greet us. From what I had heard of dragons, they weren't the type to stop while they were ahead.

I figured it was time for some small talk. We had been plodding along silently with only the occasional murder spree to spice things up, and I had the feeling there was still a ways to go.

"So. Dragons."

I never claimed to be good at small talk...even if I did begrudgingly admit the need for it.

He glanced back at me, clearly confused and probably a little irritated as well.

"You're a real talker."

I shrugged, picking my way across the damp rocks. "I feel like it's something we should talk about. It did almost wipe us off the face of the earth."

He paused, and I could see his jaw working. He was clearly thinking about it. Something had bothered him. "I didn't even think dragons existed..."

"Well, they clearly do..." I also paused, tilting my head a little as I thought. "So, what makes you think this isn't just the end of the world? I mean, how sure are you that when we get out of here there will actually be something pleasant waiting for us?"

"Shut up," he hissed.

I stopped, offended. I started to get defensive, regretting my attempt at small talk and even my decision to follow him in the first place. "It was just an honest question; why are you such a baby - can't handle the truth?"

"No, shut up!" he whispered in an overwhelmingly aggressive tone.

I refused to listen to him, taking a threatening step forward and holding up my sword. I opened my mouth, preparing for another verbal assault, when he lunged at me, covering my mouth and crushing my ribs with his bulky arms.

"Seriously. Shut up. There's a bear."

I followed his gaze, noticing the huge lump of fur in the shadows across the way.

I shrugged him off, feeling embarrassed. "You could have just said that, dumb ass. Did you not learn the proper way to communicate danger?"

"Let's try and sne-"

I grabbed his bow off his back, notching an arrow and pulling back with all my strength.

"WHAT!" he roared, completely forgetting the bear thanks to my thievery. He successfully woke the beast, and I squinted, taking aim as he charged towards us. My arrow sailed through the air, nailing the bear squarely between the eyes. He staggered forward, rolling a little as he fell. I handed the bow back to Blondie with a smug look.

"Sneaking is for pussies."

I paused, trying to decide whether I wanted to skin the bear or not. I quickly decided it would be a good idea and set to work with a dagger I had picked off one of the guards.

"Are you seriously skinning a bear right now? We're kinda trying to escape."

I didn't even look up from my work, deftly navigating the beast's body. I had almost finished when I finally looked up at him. "Are you seriously still waiting for me? I was kinda trying to ditch you."

I chuckled, rolling up the vaguely bloody and damp skin and stuffing it away. "Alright, fine, let's go."

We finally managed to find an exit, struggling through oddly cold and snowy conditions for the inside of a cave. I wasn't complaining, though, the cold was always nice. As we emerged into daylight, Blondie started talking again, rambling off random nonsense, something about a chick named Gerdur in Riverwood, grateful he was alive, see there's no dragon... I took this as my cue to disappear into the nearby bushes. I crouched there for a moment, waiting for him to notice I was gone. I backed away slowly, keeping my eyes trained on him the whole way. Of course, he headed off in the wrong direction to look for me - I guess he thought I had blindly sprinted away. I shook my head, emerging from the bushes but still checking behind me as I followed my own path through the underbrush with no intentions of going to Riverwood or anywhere else with other humans for that matter.

**Author's Note: So this is my first fan-fic in a looooong time, and my first ever Elder Scrolls. Sorry this is long and horrendous, I'm a sucker for details. I promise it'll get better :) Please leave a review, feel free to correct any mistakes... I'm somewhat new to Elder Scrolls in general so yeah. Hope y'all enjoy~**


	2. Chapter 2: Riverwood

These damn woods just wouldn't end. I had seen woods before; actually, I loved the woods… but woods in High Rock were not like the woods in Skyrim. The innocent ventures I had made into the outskirts of those woods had never ended with me being miserably lost. I crouched near a tree, just listening to the wind blowing around me. A few birds chirped off in the distance, and some nearby rustling was probably caused by something larger than a bird but hopefully not very dangerous.

A low rumble of hunger seized my stomach, and I sighed. I would have to find some sort of civilization soon. And get a bow. Definitely needed a bow. I turned the sword over in my hands, wondering if I could successfully use it for hunting. Just as I was abandoning the idea and standing up, a large elk walked basically straight up to me. Dumbfounded, I stared at it for a second before lifting my arm. It let out a startled bugle and ran straight towards the rock wall at my back. _Are animals seriously this dumb here? _

I broke into an easy jog and swung my sword at the elk's neck. It gurgled as it fell, and I almost felt bad for skinning it and ripping off some of its meat to cook later. Hunting really just shouldn't be this easy.

I wandered down a little hill towards the path. I couldn't go wrong in following the path; I would find civilization soon enough.

In fact, I found it much sooner than I expected. A huge sign hung over the path; in big letters it said RIVERWOOD. I should probably consider sticking to paths for a while if I didn't want to starve to death in the woods…

I put my sword away, trying not to look like a wild bandit woman rampaging through their town. The loud crashing of metal caught my attention, and I jogged towards whom I guessed was the blacksmith.

Skipping the subtleties, I walked straight up to him, eager to continue on my way and get back out into the woods. "Will you buy any of this stuff?" I showed him a couple daggers, an axe, and a crappy sword.

"Sure thing, anything else you want to sell? I buy pretty much anything – it's always worth improving!"

I bit back a snarky comment about the measly pile of gold he offered me, stashing it away as I pulled out some boots and gloves, and a large set of imperial armor.

I got a bit more for these, and, with a heavy heart, I asked about a bow. Of course, the price was outrageous, so I waved him off and stashed the rest of my money.

"So, is there anything I can do for a little extra gold around here?"

He didn't even question my awkwardness or my desperate need for more gold. "Sure, help me craft some things!" Man sure was enthusiastic...

I carried on with my work quickly, casually pocketing a few extra ingots as I did so. I glanced over my shoulder; he was completely oblivious. I chuckled softly under my breath; everything in Skyrim seemed to be a little lacking in intelligence. As soon as I finished, I laid the things out in front of him silently, waiting for him to offer me some gold. Instead, he told me to keep what I had made.

"Thanks," I mumbled under my breath, heaving the dagger and helmet and heading back out onto the main road through Riverwood. The smell of fresh bread and rabbit filled the air, and I followed it like a dog to the inn. Shortly after entering the inn, I was accosted by a bard. I clearly had walked too close to him and made the mistake of seeming even mildly interested in his woes.

I tapped my foot impatiently, crossing my arms as he started rambling. "Camilla is mine! That ugly elf can never have her. They're spending so much time together, he thinks he can steal her from me, but I know better!"

"Oh, yeah, spending time together is really dangerous. Who knows, I might just elope with you after all this conversation."

He stared at me dumbly.

I rolled my eyes, physically waving him off. "Nevermind. Are you finished yet?"

"Give this letter to Camilla, tell her it's from Faendal. I'm sure this will fix my problem."

I hesitantly took the letter from him, glancing over it quickly. It looked like something a five-year-old had written, full of nasty words and just childish nonsense really. Poor Camilla, caught up with this brainless oaf. I turned away from him, sneaking over to a table and casually sitting down there. I glanced around for a moment before scooting into the shadows. As I gnawed hungrily on a large wheel of cheese, I thought about where to go next. I figured I should probably get this letter of my hands and save Camilla the trouble of having to choose. I felt compelled to help her out; maybe this Faendal guy was the real deal, and I certainly didn't want her wasting her time on... Sven? Yeah... I think that was his name. I swallowed the last bite of cheese before slipping back out the door.

I felt like a milkman making his rounds, stopping at every little building I passed, as I went in search of Camilla. I found her in the general store, in the middle of a loud argument with the man I presumed was the owner. I cleared my throat loudly, but quickly reconsidered my interruption. I turned to leave, hoping I would be able to escape unnoticed but the shop keep hailed me excitedly.

"Hey! Sorry about all that fuss; it's nothing really. Would you like to buy anything?"

With my hand still on the doorknob, I turned around, forcing a pathetic smile. "Actually, I came here to talk to Camilla." I turned to her, "This is from Sven. He wanted me to say it was from... Fenric? No, no, Faendal. Sorry." I shoved the letter at her, looking down at the ground. "Not to meddle in your love life or anything, but I'd say kick him to the curb."

As she read over the letter, I tried to occupy myself and avoid the uncomfortable bombardment of emotions that was sure to follow. "What were you two arguing about earlier? Is something wrong around here?"

"Oh, no, it's..." he paused. "Well, actually, I've been robbed. They stole one of my prized possessions - a golden claw."

I stared at him silently, waiting for him to continue. I was at a loss for insincere consoling words to say.

"Wait," his voice got a little more excited as he looked up at me, grinning. "You seem like the adventurous type, would you want to go get it for me?"

My mouth fell open in shock. "Seriously? You've known me two seconds, and you want me to go fetch some priceless claw for you? How do you even know where it is?"

"Well, the thieves around here usually hide out at Bleak Falls Barrow, so it's gotta be around there somewhere, right?" He seemed only mildly deflated.

I sighed heavily, rubbing my forehead. I really wasn't in the mood to be everyone's helpful errand runner, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity for gold.

"I've got some money coming in from my last shipment - it's yours if you can fetch the claw for me!"

I definitely couldn't resist the promise of gold. "Alright, fine, I'll go fetch your claw."

"Oh!" Camilla had rejoined the conversation. "Would you stop by and talk to Faendal as well? Tell him about the letter; I'm sure he'd love to help you too!"

I was no longer even surprised by how trusting everyone here seemed to be. "Yeah, sure," I grunted, plodding out the door. I slammed it shut behind me, cutting Camilla off as she started to ramble about how maybe she should show me the way, take me to the edge of town. Maybe she would have been better off with that infantile bard after all. I was pretty sure she had never set foot out of that general store in her life.

Resting bitch face was in full swing as I started wandering blindly around Riverwood, searching for this mystical elf man. I had almost given up when I caught sight of an elf. Deciding to take a chance, I rushed up to him - "Hey! Faendal!"

Miraculously, he turned around, curious. "Do I know you?"

"Not yet. Camilla wanted me to tell you something. Sven wrote a horrible letter, said it was from you, wanted me to give it to her, blah, blah... moral of the story, she thinks you hung the moon now. Congratulations, you win. You're welcome." The words spilled out, one after the other, in my rush to get this interaction over with and start looking for the claw.

"Thank you so much! I always told Camilla that he was no good. How can I ever repay you?"

"Actually, I'm about to head out on a seemingly life-threatening quest to get back a golden claw from a bunch of thieves - do you know where Bleak Falls Barrow is?"

"Uhm, no..._but_ I can accompany you on your journey!"

I had the strong urge to decline his offer, but I could always use an extra hand when it came to slaughtering hoards of bandits. Or, worst case scenario, I could use him as a human shield and casually take his gold after his untimely death. Shit happens. "Sure, let's go."


	3. Chapter 3: The Golden Claw

Against my deepest inclinations, I decided to try and follow the path to the barrow. Surely it couldn't be that difficult – it would at least lead me close enough to see it and then I could find my way?

I made sure to keep a pretty good distance between the wood elf and myself. I wanted to avoid as much unnecessary – and likely probing – small talk as possible. I had found painful distance usually made that pretty obvious, and I usually preferred the passive aggressive approach to "leave me alone" anyway. It was working pretty well until I actually stopped, placing my hands on my hips and looking up at the sky. This was taking much longer than expected; the sun was slowly creeping behind the trees, and I knew it would soon be dark.

"You don't know much about Skyrim, do you?" he asked, stopping right beside me – way too close for comfort actually. I glanced at him quickly, stepping pointedly away from him with a disdainful scoff.

"I haven't lived here more than a month, how could I?" Oops. Way too much backstory.

"Oh?" he said, genuinely curious as he turned to me. "Where'd you come from? Why Skyrim?"

"Why so many questions?" I deftly avoided him, albeit very uncreatively.

"Well, I'd like to know a little more about you – I am venturing into a bandit's hideout with you."

"Well, I'd like to know where the hideout _is_ – I am trying to make some gold and avoid a miserable death in the woods."

Finally, he took the hint and stopped talking.

"Fuck it, I'm doing this my way." I plunged off into the bushes, blindly forcing my way through them. It didn't take long for me to run directly into a steep stone cliff.

"Well. That could have gone better." Faendal chuckled to himself as he looked up towards the top of the cliff. "Any more bright ideas?"

I glared daggers at him, squinting up at the mountain's silhouette.

"Wait…" I said, smugness welling up in my chest. "Is that a tower up there?" I pointed at a darker shadow above the cliff.

"Hm… seems like it could be. Let's go check it out."

I took off excitedly, following the rocky wall. Here and there I tried to climb up it, struggling up a few feet before admitting defeat and leaping back down.

"Would you just stop? There's bound to be a path somewhere."

"Shut up, do you really want to run all the way around? This is seriously going to be easier. You'll see."

It ended up not being easier at all, actually. After attempting to scale every vaguely promising rock and failing miserably, we finally made it around the mountain to a large set of stairs. I could feel myself blush and feel Faendal's eyes digging into my back, but at least he didn't say "I told you so."

"Alright then, let's get on wi-"

"Ouch."

"Shit."

An arrow whizzed past me, presumably nailing Faendal. Another sank deep into my arm. I spun around, wildly searching for our attackers. "Where the fuck are they?" I screeched, feeling insulted that some damn bandits were actually getting the better of me.

Faendal had drawn his bow, already running up the stairs and attempting to shoot. Damn elf. I should have taken his bow and made him buy a new one. I followed him up the stairs, crouching low to avoid any more arrows. Another whooshed past my head, and I snarled to myself and broke into a sprint.

I skipped the last few steps, taking a flying leap to the top and spinning on my heels, searching for the assailants. I locked eyes with one, bow fully drawn, and I screeched like a cat, running at him without my sword even drawn.

I ducked as he let the arrow fly, narrowly avoiding it. "Dumb ass." I spat, punching him square in the face. He grunted, staggering back just a step or two. He wasn't even bleeding as he turned back to me, notching another arrow.

"Seriously?" I drew my sword. "You can't honestly tell me you're going to use a bow in hand to hand combat." I thrust deep into his stomach as I talked, pulling my bloody weapon out as I finished my statement. I grabbed up his bow and his arrows, stole his coin purse, and turned to see Faendal launch an arrow at the second bandit.

"Good j-"

I was cut off by an angry shout, and I turned to see a third bandit flying at me with a dagger. I lifted my arm just in time to deflect most of the blow, but he still sliced my arm open. The sting irritated me more than anything. An arrow soon protruded from his chest – his pitiful rags weren't doing him very much good – and I finished him off with a sword to the throat. I rummaged through his body for a moment before turning back to Faendal. "Thanks."

We proceeded up some more stairs, and I stood in front of the huge stone doors for a moment, considering what could be inside. "You ready?"

"Not really."

"Too bad. Let's go."

I dropped into a crouch as soon as I opened the doors. I didn't know what to expect in here, and I didn't want to barrel through like a baby elephant. Hopefully we could sneak through most of the bandits and get out of here without a hitch… I almost chuckled to myself. Wishful thinking was hilarious.

Within a few feet, I heard the grumble of voices. They were bickering about something, and I waved my hand to tell Faendal to stop. I slowly pulled out my bow, notched an arrow, and drew the string back. I held it up to my shoulder, keeping it drawn as I stuck to the shadows and crept around the corner. My heart was racing as I waited for someone to come into sight. If I could take out one before being seen, that would be at least somewhat of a relief.

I finally saw both of the bandits, crouched over a table and pointing excitedly at things. I took aim at the closer one, letting out a slow breath as I released the arrow. It hit its mark, sinking deep into his neck. He shouted in surprise, but crumpled to the ground, twitching as he bled out.

His friend looked around wildly, drawing his sword and wandering around the room. "Is somewhere there? Where are you?"

He clearly had no idea where I was. I was dumbfounded. I prepared a second arrow, still not quite able to believe my luck, when Faendal leaped out from behind me, screaming bloody murder. My mouth fell open as he barreled towards the bandit, who now definitely knew where we were. He pulled out a dagger, slicing wildly and still screaming. I stood up slowly, pulling out my own sword and stringing my bow across my back. I walked out into the open, watching the awkward and horrible fight.

"Get out of the way," I snapped, physically inserting myself between the two and stabbing the bandit in the stomach.

"Wanna tell me what that was about?" I spat, beginning to go through the bandits' things, picking up gold, a few gems, and some of their armor. I then started to explore the room, rummaging through shelves and tables for anything that might have been useful. I didn't find much else except for some more gold and some weird potions that I picked up just in case they turned out to be valuable.

"Did you not want them dead?"

I stopped, staring at him icily. "I didn't want to fight them."

"I don't understand..."

"Clearly." I stalked away down a corridor, abandoning my attempts at sneaking since clearly my companion had as much grace as a tailless cat. I soon heard the sound of footsteps - very loud footsteps - and I paused, listening. I peered around a corner, watching as a man ran towards a large gate. He pulled a lever and within moments was dead, shot repeatedly by a volley of arrows. I quickly hid behind the wall again, breathing quickly. Was it a trap? Or an army? I strained, listening, but there was no way for me to tell.

Faendal finally decided to join me, so I made him walk through first. He wasn't assaulted by any arrows, so it must have just been a trap set on the lever. He stood around, completely helpless, and it took all my strength to ignore his idiocy and focus on trying to figure out how to get past the gate. I glanced around the room, noticing some pillars with animals on them. I sat down on a nearby rock to think, half considering just going back and saying the claw had been melted down into a necklace or something of the sort.

"I wonder how this fell off the wall..."

I looked up, watching as the elf paced around what seemed to be a large face on the floor. Engraved into it was a snake, a lot like the snake on the pillar. Wheels started to turn in my head, and I looked up above the door - there were two more faces. I leaped to my feet and rushed to the pillars. I pushed them cautiously, and they turned. I quickly lined them up - snake, snake, whale - and then ran to the lever. I winced as I pulled it gingerly, as if that was going to protect me from sudden death from arrows. Instead, the door started to creak and move, soon opening up a passageway.

"Alright, let's get this over with." I lead the way into the passageway. No more humans barred our path, just a couple of HUGE and extremely aggressive rats. True to my female anatomy, I screamed when I first saw them before swinging my sword wildly and yelling "Die! Die! Die!" Rats carry diseases you know. I picked up my dignity and carried on, finding an enormous Frostbite spider shortly thereafter. With the first bit of _good _teamwork in a while - a pleasant motivator to _not _let Faendal tragically die somewhere in the caves - we managed to shoot it down with our bows. No sooner had we done that than a man was yelling at me. I looked around, deeply confused for a moment, before I located him.

"Hey! Cut me down! Let me go! You killed it!" He was trapped in a large web, presumably next on the menu for the now-dead spider.

"Why would I do that?" I examined him suspiciously. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know anything about a Golden Claw would you?"

"The claw? Yes! I know all about it, the markings, the door, everything! Cut me down, I'll tell you!"

"Give me the claw first; I wasn't born yesterday, thief."

"I can't move, bitch. Cut me down."

"Why don't I just kill you? Seems easier to me."

"Please! Please before something else comes, I swear I'll tell you everything."

Still eying him suspiciously, I sawed through the thick, sticky web and released him. Before his feet even touched the ground, he started to laugh. "Fool. Why would I share the treasure with anyone?" He sprinted off down the hallway.

"Damn it. I knew it." I raced after him, skidding around a corner just in time to see him stabbing at a large skeleton. I paused, having never seen one of these creatures before, but I didn't have time to be confused because he soon turned on me.

I threw up my sword in an attempt to block his blow. I stumbled backwards, unprepared. An arrow caught him in the side, not doing much damage thanks to his armor, but it distracted him enough for me to slice at his legs. Blood sprayed out, and he screamed, falling to the ground. I grabbed the front of his armor, driving my sword down into his neck before releasing him again.

"Bastard." I grabbed the claw from his pocket before turning to the skeleton. "Do you know what this is, Faendal?"

"Draugr," he said simply. "Nasty ancient Nords."

A handful more draugrs and some very violent traps later, we once again stood in front of a door with a puzzle. "Why does this require so much brain power?" I grumbled to myself. "Adventurers are supposed to hack and slash their way through crypts, ya know, all brawn and no brain?"

Faendal was absorbed in... I wasn't even sure what, but he was unaffected by my grumblings. I was honestly beginning to find myself in a positively horrible mood. I was soaking wet from a creek we had to wade through a few minutes ago, exhausted from fighting off skeletons and carrying around all their shit, and hungry. I couldn't remember the last thing I ate. A good block of cheese sounded particularly delicious.

I tried to focus, the sooner I could get out of here the sooner I could disappear again with a measly amount of gold - just enough to get by on - and never have to deal with stupid errands or ignorant followers... I clearly needed to use the claw to open the door, it seemed to fit perfectly. What I didn't understand though, was the three rings above the keyhole. I turned the claw over and over in my hands, staring off into space before I finally realized that there were symbols on the claw itself. I sighed heavily, feeling very stupid, and stood up. I spun the rings around, lining the symbols up with the symbols on the claw. I put the tips of the claw into the door, taking a step back as things started spinning and creaking and finally the door opened. "Ta-da!" I stepped through, putting the claw away safely.

Something was in this room; I could feel it in my bones. My heart started to pound, and I turned to look at Faendal, hoping he felt it too. He seemed as blissfully unaware of life as usual. I heard a rushing sound, a strange mixture of wind and chanting voices. I wanted to ask if he heard it, but deep down I knew he didn't, so I kept my mouth shut. I followed the sound as best as I could to a large stone wall. Strange symbols were carved on it; it seemed like some sort of language, though I couldn't read it. As my eyes passed over them, one in particular seemed to stand out. It was glowing faintly, and as I stared at it the world seemed to fade away. I felt rooted in place, unable to tear my eyes away from it or even more. _Fus. _it whispered, slowly repeating the word until it became a loud chant in my head. _Fus! _A whirlwind of energy, of wind itself it seemed, rushed into me, and I gasped.

I turned around to ask Faendal if he had seen any of that, felt any of the power, but a loud creaking and some savage coughing distracted me. A massive draugr climbed out of a tomb, rushing towards us. I panicked, lifting up my hand and screaming. A burst of flames exploded from my palm, the tingling sensation of the spell running up through my arm. As the monster recoiled, hacking even more aggressively, I pulled out my sword. I launched myself at him, hoping to land a few good blows before he recovered, but he was much stronger than the others had been before him. Faendal drew back, firing arrows one after another, but they had little effect. His glowing eyes turned back to me, and he roared something in my direction. A massive force knocked me off my feet, slamming me up against the stone wall and knocking the breath out of me. I gasped, scrabbling for something to help me get back on my feet as the skeleton loomed over me again.

I rolled away as best as I could, finally regaining my ability to breath, and struggled to my feet. I swung my sword as I stood up, using the momentum of my body to add extra strength to the blow. The skeleton staggered back, and I raised the sword above my head, slashing down on him. He still wouldn't fall, so I dragged my sword upwards again, crashing into him on the way up. Finally, he began to crumble, and a final slash brought him to an end.

I collapsed to my knees, trembling and breathing heavily. I hadn't fought like that in... well, ever. I leaned on a rock, determined to recover quickly and get out of here as soon as possible. Faendal rushed to my side, helping me to my feet and fussing over me. I shoved him away, resuming my independent air although I was still rattled. "We need to get out of here."

I turned to the massive draugr, picking up his glowing axe, some gems, quite a bit of gold, and a very strange looking tablet. It seemed useful for selling, even if I had no idea what it meant or what it even was really. I took in a final deep breath and let it _whoosh _from my lips as I straightened again, leading the way out of the cave and back into the blinding sunlight.

**Author's Note: Sorry this one's so long! I got a little carried away at parts; I tried to skim over most of this quest. I promise things are about to get more unique and interesting, just hang in there :) And please leave reviews! Let me know how to make this better - tell me if I'm boring you to tears?**

**Oh, and yes, she's a Breton, so she's got a little bit of magic in her. She won't be using it much at all - you'll see why in a bit**


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